Friend Damaged Expensive Item

[Starsandbutterflys]

Hi some advice please

I have a silk persion rug that I have in my front room.

My friend came over with her young step daughter (12 yards old at the time) who I made a hot chocolate for which she then spilled all over my rug some time later. My friend was on her phone on the sofa not watching her. I had to pay £900 to get the stain removed it went everywhere. My friend didn't offer to make any contribution to the cleaning or take any responsibility for her step daughter's accident. She avoided me for over a month when I started contacting her politely to say that I needed to get the cleaning started. Her boyfriend (father of the step-daughter) told her to tell me where to 'stick it' (how flattering), and we haven't spoken since. Can I take her to the small claims court..? I have evidence on email acknowledging that her step daughter caused the damage

[Dontactlikeyouknowme]

Don't be a dick.

[wizzywig]

Wheres the op gone?

[thegoodnameshadgone]

Hahahaha judge rinder

[TheOnlyColditz]

No, I'm sorry, £900 for a hot chocolate spillage is not on. It's absolutely excessive and I would not pay it no matter if I was at fault. Something that valuable should not be on the floor.

[paxillin]

I'd feel mortified, too. I'd also be really angry you led me into a trap. Giving chocolate to a child over a rug that takes £900 to wash is just setting your friend up. I wouldn't set foot in your house again for fear that doing something totally normal would instantly cause damage of bankruptcy proportions.

This was only the cleaning of a fucking rug. the sofa probably needs £3000 for cleaning and I'm pdobably drinking from a Ming vase.

Just entertain your friends in a way you can afford and don't resort to litigation afterwards.

[nougatsquirrel]

I feel your pain over the rug, it would have been nice for your friend to offer to help, if only a little bit.
But to be honest, I wouldn't have expected her to pay for any of it and I would have rejected any offers myself, though it would have been nice of her to make them.
She and her daughter are not responsible.
As others say, it was an accident with a child. So not their responsibility. Hopefully your insurance could cover some of it.
I once thought I lost the safe key to a friend's bank safe. To replace it would have cost £700. I was mortified. I offered to pay it for the sake of our friendship but of course she refused. To be honest, I was mentally calculating how I could make it up to her. Even though I knew that by giving me the key she had placed me in a difficult position and was taking a risk I'd lose it. I managed to find it (almost drove me nuts) so this particular story ended well.
Take a deep breath and try to move on. Shame the friendship is broken though.

[GotToGetMyFingerOut]

You were the one who made her the blooming big chocolate and leg her sit near the rug.

[Miserylovescompany2]

Just serve all future drinks in those toddler non drip sippy cups...

[lougle]

You made it, you gave it, you are responsible for sorting the mess.

[SpongeBobJudgeyPants]

Whereforarthough OP?

[ChishandFips33]

If this is genuine then I think you have to suck it up on account you made the hot chocolate and allowed them to drink it in the room with the rug

If I was your friend I'd be giving you a wide berth from now on!

[GrumpyOldBag]

OP, please come back to the thread and tell us why you haven't simply claimed on the insurance.

[SingingSilver]

This was an insurance matter. Surely you only had to pay the excess?

[ShiroiKoibito]

wonder what else will go wrong for the poor op....

[PossumInAPearTree]

You're the hostess with the leastest. Not a nice way to treat a guest. Use your insurance.

[LesLavandes]

I just read on this thread that you are the person on another thread complaining about your cleaner damaging your granite worktop. You have two serious domestic issues going on same time? I suppose it is possible

[LesLavandes]

I think this is entirely your responsibility. You are discussing an accident of a child. In no way should you have given the child a drink on that expensive rug! Simple! Remove rug, drink kitchen! I have been through this. I aways thought to avoid this problem. They are children and this is your expense now. Lesson learnt

[bigbuttons]

If I had a rug that expensive it would not be anywhere where houseguests could accidentally damage it. Op you are crazy and completely at fault for allowing the poor girl to have a drink anywhere near your rug.

[P1nkSparkles]

Out of interest - did you make any reference to being careful of the rug when you gave them the hot chocolate?? I would be marginally more sympathetic if you did.

Not that it makes a lot difference - I still think regardless of the legalities of the situation, you invited them into your home, you gave them hot chocolate, it was an accident... suck it up & claim on insurance.

As a side issue - if we were part of a friendship group and you were chasing a friend for this sort of ridiculous amount of money for a genuine accident, I would be highly reluctant to ever set foot in your house for fear you would try to bill me for something. Just something to consider....

[YorkieDorkie]

YOU made the hot chocolate and gave it to a minor. You need to apologise to your friend and next time sit at the table.

[WeAllHaveWings]

I have a limestone fireplace, it looks lovely, but it wasn't until after we had it fitted then we had decorators in that we realised and read up on how easily stained it is.

The decorators paid for the stain they caused to be professionally removed, but since then I'm paranoid about another. Ds's friends are warned when they have sleepovers in the room not to put drink or food near it, but if there was an incident there is no way I'd ask anyone to pay for it.

It was my choice to have something that stains easily + kids near it with food and drink.

[justnippingin]

Crackers...a wind up for sure!

[StillStayingClassySanDiego]

You have got to be on the wind up?

£900 to clean a rug, ruining a friendship and thinking of taking her to the small claims court over a split cup of hot chocolate?

if you're not building and contents insured do it now before a real drama unfolds.

[tiktok]

I'm in the UK. About ten years ago a friend spilled a whole cup of black coffee on our cream sitting room carpet. It was an accident, obv. We made an insurance claim and got the cost of a whole new carpet, after cleaning failed to remove the stain.

It seems odd to me that the OP has not explored the insurance claim option.